Shy July at Cat Haven

17 July 2017

It’s Shy July at Cat Haven this month, where the shelter is encouraging people to adopt a shy cat for just the cost of a donation. With kitten season drawing to a close this winter Cat Haven, WA’s largest stray cat shelter, is left with hundreds of adult cats, with some of the shyest cats staying at the shelter or in foster care for months on end.

There are over 30 super shy cats at Cat Haven and to help potential adopters, Cat Haven is giving away a gift pack of cat products including a cat bed and cat food to everyone who adopts a shy cat this July.

"Shy cats get overlooked for the cute, playful kittens and tend to remain confined to a cat pen at Cat Haven for way too long, which can sometimes lead to them becoming depressed or ill. Shy cats are often only timid in the shelter environment when they are scared or stressed, but often we find that once they are in their new home, with a bit of patience and love from their new family, they quickly become a loving pet. We have a lovely cat called Socks who was terribly shy at Cat Haven who has been in foster care now for 450 days!” Chandra Woodley, Marketing Officer at Cat Haven said.

“Sometimes these cats may just need a home where it is quiet, and a bit of time and gentle coaxing to settle in. There are some cats that have been abandoned, lost or come from a loving home and are simply terrified when they come to a shelter, having lost their owner and unused to all the noises and other cats, so they may need a home with no other pets.” Chandra Woodley said.

“This month we took in Chiquita, a lovely long haired brindle girl who was found completely shaven when she was rescued from the streets in Rockingham. The couple who found her thought she had an operation because of her shaved fur, but after a visit to the vet it was clear that she had been intentionally shaved for ’fun’, which is terribly cruel at this cold time of year. She was extremely wary and shy when she first came into Cat Haven but she is making progress and has grown back most of her fur. She will need a special loving home!” Chandra Woodley said.

The shelter has received 800 more cats than this time last year and the intake of unwanted cats doesn’t seem to be slowing. Cat Haven is asking people to spread the word to sterilize their cats as the message is slow to get through. It is law to sterilize and microchip all cats over 6 months old in Western Australia.

It costs over $8000 a day to keep the cats at Cat Haven when it is full, and with 98% of running costs being raised by donations and not Government funding, the shelter is always short of funds.

Cat Haven recommends that people don’t buy a cat from Gumtree or other online sites but to adopt a shelter cat. Anyone who can’t adopt a cat can consider temporary fostering, or can simply donate or volunteer to help the 6500 unwanted cats that pass through the shelter each year.

Cat Haven is also offering ‘Golden Oldies’ (cats over 10 years) and FIV affected cats for adoption for just the cost of a donation. All adoption packages include sterilisation, micro-chipping, vaccinations, and flea and worm treatment.